subject: You Can Play Poker Wherever You Are [print this page] You Can Play Poker Wherever You Are You Can Play Poker Wherever You Are
There is no hotter game in the world today than poker. It quickly shot up in popularity to become the world's most popular game. Poker's history, especially Texas Hold Em, is an amazing story. The game seems simple on the surface but beneath it lies a complex game. The game's popularity comes from the notion that large sums of money can be won just by playing a game. The Internet has made poker readily available to all players.
Texas Hold Em is the most popular poker variant in the world. Little is known about the beginnings of the game, but Texas State Legislature recognizes Robstown, Texas as the game's birthplace. A group of gamblers introduced the game to Las Vegas in 1967. This group of gamblers included poker legends Roscoe Weiser, Doyle Brunson, Crandell Addington, and Amarillo Slim. In 1970, Benny and Jack Binion introduced the World Series of Poker at their casino, Binion's Horseshoe. The main event had small beginnings. In 1972, only eight players played in this tournament. This number blew up to two hundred by 1991. Nobody expected the sudden poker boom that was seen in the 21st century.
Poker's popularity has taken off and a couple of events have helped trigger this. Poker players and their grind were glorified in 1998's movie Rounders. Its popularity would reach its peak as two other catalysts pushed it even further. Television shows featuring poker tournaments had pocket cams placed at the tables. This allows viewers and fans to watch the action while knowing full well what the players' cards are. ESPN's telecast of a poker amateur, Chris Moneymaker, winning the2003 WSOP title over a field of 839 entrants was the next event. After this, players felt they could be the next poker champion. The next year's WSOP main event had 2,576 registered players and the year after that saw 5,619 players register. With this, poker had officially been thrown into the mainstream.
The inner workings of No Limit Hold Em make it both a simple and complex game. The easy-to-learn rules welcome beginners to try their luck. Players must use a combination of their two face-down cards and five community cards to make the best poker hands. Four round of betting are played where players can wager on their hand. The theory of poker is a lot more complex than the rules make it out to be. The no-limit aspect of the game allow players to implement creative bet-sizes. Moreover, information about an opponent's hand is incomplete. Unlike draw poker where the only given information is bet-sizing, Hold Em players have the information of the community cards but are kept in the dark in terms of their opponents' hole cards. Incomplete information means players must gain information elsewhere to the true essence of their opponents' cards; players use stack sizes, bet sizes, and tells to gain an idea of the cards they are up against.
Online poker helped boost poker's popularity to what it is today. It is very popular since players can multi-table and pay half the rake found at brick & mortar casinos. Also, online players can remain anonymous and play from the comfort of their own home. Both Moneymaker and Greg "Fossilman" Raymer qualified for their World Series of Poker wins on PokerStars, the world's largest online poker room.
New innovations in online poker have been seen since its small beginnings in 1998. Poker instant play has played an integral part in online poker's growth. Poker instant play allows players to bypass the download and play poker directly from their browser. It allows players to play when they're not home, be it at work, school, or vacation. Poker instant play generally restricts players to one or two tables at a time. Also, players generally cannot join tournaments through their browser. The Party Poker instant play program is one of the better ones around. Party Poker instant play works perfectly for the Mac as well as Linux. Table filters, private tables, and table resizing is not allowed when using Party Poker instant play.
Poker has grown exponentially in the past decade and a half. With stakes online as low as $0.01/$0.02, it is accessible to players of all bankroll sizes. Players should take some time to learn the theory behind the game. Poker can become a very productive hobby that generates a good amount of side income. Players with a special talent may find poker to be very lucrative and turn six-figure income. Players should start to learn the game and build a bankroll at the lower stakes. As players learn to play better, they can graduate and move to bigger games. Good luck on the felt!
